


Pearls for a Theif.

by leithvoid



Category: Palaye Royale (Band)
Genre: Gen, Historical, Terminal Illness, theif
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:48:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26229727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leithvoid/pseuds/leithvoid
Summary: I piece I did for uni, 2019.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Pearls for a Theif.

Emerson Kropp was a young soldier who  ha d survived the  war .  H e boarded this ship to  sail ho m e to his  family . The cab in he was assigned was filled with more personal then could fit inside , something that wasn’t surprising . Though Emerson did not have much in the  ways of luggage, he  still struggled to get his backpack inside the cabin . “Afternoon,” an older gentleman greeted  Emerson.

The gentleman was followed by an entourage of people, who seemed to be heading towards the  dining hall of the ship . Looking at the way the group was dressed , Emerson knew they were from the  wealthier side of classes.

“Afternoon, sir,” Emerson replied, nodd ing his head as  other gentleman  passed  his cabin door , as he did to the others . These cabins were in better condition than he thought they would have been . 

Emerson may have been a soldier of the  war, but he was not dressed like one. The only telling sign that he was a soldier was his hair , which was shaved. He didn’t want people to know he was a soldier , he wasn’t there to be celebrated. He might have been on this boat to go home to his family, but he was also there on other business.

The business that was sure to bring  him money, something that was very  hard to  come by these days.  Being a thief was something Emerson had a talent for,  he ha d sly hands. He was able to pickpocket things like pocket watches and  wallets  with ease . 

Once Emerson was settled into th e overcrowded cabin he decided to walk around the ship, get to know the place.  To find places to hide, in case he needed too . Most of the people on this ship were either wealthy or soldiers s o , there was a good chance he would find something  worth money here.

As he strolled into the  dining hall, he noticed a table  that seated the group of people who’d walked passed him at his cabin. He w andered over to the table and nodded to them as the recognised him, he listened into to their convocation. Something he did almost at default.

Pearls.

Pearls were something that had been  talked  about a lot due to the Japanese marketing  of  fake  pearls and how  they may be decreasing the value of true pearls but to the production of fake pearls .

Emerson found a table close to the irs that he was able to sit at and  eavesdrop into the conversation  they were having. He lit a cigarette and smoked as he listened. If indeed these where real pearls then Emerson  had to steal them, for the money , to pay for the bills . There were some  bickering and betting taking place at the table beside him . 

If the pearls were indeed  fake, then there was no value in stealing them. There were  people  in the world who if you told them they were real they would believe you. And they would buy them from you for a high price.

Emerson had a good eye for pick ing up on  people’s body language and  ticks. He could tell when someone was lying without having  actually met them before. He was able to watch the table ,  assess them and listen in to their convocation s .

The table finally came to the decision to  look into the authenticity of the pearls ,  Emerson  leaned forwards on the table he was sitting on. Inhaling the cigarette, tilting his head as he exhaled the smoke to hear better.

Emerson finally paid more attention to the ladies who se pears were in question. She was pretty, her frame was  thin, and  she wore a red frock with a  fluffy black sha wl draped over her shoulders. Lips red to match the  frock and dark eye makeup , dramatic .

The lady looked like she was hiding a secret, maybe one she didn’t want her husband to know about. As the men at the table started to assess the pearls, she beg a n to look un comfortable . H er body language — moving in her seat, frantic looking around,  fiddling with her shawl .

Emerson smiled,  _ they were real _ .  He was able to come to that consolation by just the way she was acting, but also by the man who assessed the pearls. He must have also noticed her face  flushed and  eyes wide with fear at her  husband finding out , that these pearls were in fact real .

And now Emerson ha d h is eyes set on those pea r ls. What those  pretty little rocks could do for him, for his family.  His insides bubbled with excitement and adrenalin e . He finished the  cigarette he had and let his mind work. H e just needed to plan how to get them. 

His first thought was  ‘ i f she was already breaking her promise to  her husband , by letting another man buy her  _ real _ pearl s’ t hen Emerson had no doubt in his mind that if he w ould be able to convince her to come back to his cabin with him, or even to dance to start it off.

***

She stood at edge of the ballroom floor, alone, and Emerson took this as his chance to take the pearls.  Emerson slipped his arm around the  lady’s waist and smiled “Hello darling,” he hummed in her ear.  To her he was just a young gentleman fille d with testosterone , probably looking for a young woman to have sex with . 

She looked to him , with those  big blue eyes .  “ Would you care to dance with me ? ” she asked, her voice soft but there was a slice of the devil within.  Her lips curled into a smile. H e took her hand in his , a ssuming a waltz position on the  edge of the  dance floor. She placed her hand on his shoulder, his  hand placed just under her shoulder blade. Arms  atop each other and they began to dance, moving with each other.

“What’s your name , love?” he sweet-talked her. Their feet moved together across the floor, her  husband nowhere in sight. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know , handsome.” She replied, her smile still  enchanting . She wasn’t trying to hold  back; her body close to his .

“O h, would I ever,”  he smiled back, their eyes play games with each other. H e started to increase the pace of the ir movement on the floor as the music grew louder . H e slowly moved his hand to  the back of  her neck unclipping the pearls and  slowly pulled them from her neck.

“You’re gorgeous, I must say.” He  smiled. Holding the pearls in his hand, she’d not noticed. 

“Why thank you, ”  She  fluttered her lashes “ I could say the same to you. ”  She leaned in close to him, placing a red-lipped kiss on his cheek .

***

When the boat pulled into the harbour Emerson was one of the first off, jumping the railing  – not caring for the  rules of who left first. He needed to cash in these pearls. He couldn’t get caught, nor could he wait.

He ran to the closest  pawn  shop he could find,  bumping into people on his way. Though the soldier had grown up here , it had changed a lot; there were a lot more people on the streets that he didn’t remember being there when he left.

Emerson pushed open the door of a store and walked to the counter , slightly out of breath “How can I help you , sir?” the man behind the counter asked.

“Cash these in.” Emerson wa s straight to the point. The man took the pearls from the  man ’s hand and inspected them. Emerson, antsy, waiting to hear how much he could get for them. He hoped it would be enough.

“These are very much real pearls, something I have not seen in a while. Hard to come by now with all these fake ones floating around.” The man  said, “ I’ll give you $23 0 ,000 for them. ” He offered. That was more than enough for Emerson, that would pay  for everything he needed. 

“Deal.” The two shook hands and the money and pearls were  traded, and Emerson walked  out of the pawnshop ,  two-hundred and thirty-thousand dollars richer.

***

“Remington Kropp is in room 747.” The receptionist said. Emerson thanked her and then walked  the way to  Remington’s room. Hospitals were dim and gloomy, he didn’t like that his brother was here.

He walked into the room, seeing his brother hooked up t o all kinds of machines they’d given him to keep him alive . “Rem?” Emerson asked as he approached the bed. His brother ’s brown hair flat and eyes only half-open , his complexion was slightly grey from the illness .

“Emmy,” Remington  croaked . He was weak, there was no cure for  cancer, but Emerson could pay for Remington’s comfort now. He  was able to make sure his brother  wouldn’t be in any pain or  unpleasure.

“I got the money.” He told to his brother . He pulled a chair next to his brother ’ s bed and put down his backpack “I got it.” He repeated himself.

***

“Rem?” Emerson’s voice quiet in the chair next to his older  brothers bed, there was no response, there was a soft  continues beep from the heart rate monitor.  Emerson leaned himself over the bed and hugged his brother with one arm knowing he was gone.

He  tried so hard .

But the world was cruel.


End file.
